Attorney at Law Magazine sat down with Nima Etemadian to discuss his career as an attorney and the philosophy he and his partner brought to their firm.
AALM: How did you and your law partner meet? Why did you decide to launch a firm together?
NE: Me and my business partner met in high school and have been best friends since – I would consider him more of a brother than a friend at this point. We studied for the LSAT together and went to law school together, even living together during the majority of that time. Our dream was always to have a law firm together ever since we both wanted to attend law school.
AALM: Tell us about the origins behind your firm name, MOET Law Group. Is it from the champagne?
NE: Hahaha people always ask that. Typical law firm names were always drawn out long last names that no one could ever remember or pronounce. So we took the first two initials of both of our last names and put them together to create MOET — short for Moghadam and Etemadian
AALM: What first intrigued you about pursuing a legal career?
NE: Being younger I think what captivated me about the thought of being a lawyer was always the image of a well-dressed dude or gal with brilliant articulation and a strong presence. When I thought of a lawyer that is what I thought of and I think that is what intrigued me the most about being a lawyer. Fast forward to today, you should see the way some lawyers dress in court and speak – it’s embarrassing.
AALM: Tell us about any mentors you’ve worked with through your career and the best advice they shared with you.
NE: Mentors are the sole reason we have been able to grow exponentially in such a few short years. One thing that has stood out to me that a mentor once mentioned was that “your success will be determined not on the cases you bring on but on the cases you turn down.” As lawyers you may think the more cases the better, however that could not be further than the truth. Having the knowledge and understanding to really assess a case and be open and honest with a potential client has been critical in our success.
AALM: How is your career different today than you envisioned while attending Thomas Jefferson School of Law?
NE: I have always had great faith in myself and what I can achieve. I always knew that I would be and create something amazing of myself. The one thing I could not envision is how quickly I would be able to achieve the success I have thus far. My actions have always aligned with my goals — whether pre law school, during or post law school.
AALM: When choosing the practice area to focus on, what drew you to personal injury, DUI and criminal defense?
NE: I had a few internships while in law school with DUI and criminal defense attorneys, so I always knew that is something I could jump right into after law school, which is what I did. I was also intrigued with becoming a civil litigation attorney and the criminal defense side of our practice allowed us to transition into personal injury while maintaining cash flow and revenue for our law firm. As you may know criminal defense is generally a flat-fee based service while civil litigation or personal injury is contingency-based.
AALM: Tell us about a case that changed your career, the way you practice law or shifted your perspective?
NE: That is a tough question. What I would instead like to say is that every single case is different. Each case is like a chess match that my team and I get together on and strategize for the clients overall success. So every single case has helped groom me into the type of attorney I am today. Whether it’s a small case or a larger seven-figure settlement case, they have all helped change my career for the better.
AALM: Do you have a motto or practice philosophy?
NE: Yes, at my office customer service is the number one priority. I always tell my team that we are a customer service based business FIRST that happens to practice the business of law. Client experience is my number one priority. this stems from the countless number of horrible stories I have heard from people and their experience with other law firms. We wanted to be different and we are making strides everyday to provide an exceptional over the top experience for our clients.
AALM: Tell us a little about your life outside the office.
NE: I love playing sports. I usually play soccer and basketball a couple of times a week. Sports is my therapy and I have been playing since I was a child. I think that is what also pushes me to have a competitive spirit when it comes to my clients’ cases. We want to win and will do whatever it takes!
